KEN LEWIS’ RESPONSE TO BURR'S VOTE AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS AND COBRA EXTENSIONS

March 4, 2010

KEN LEWIS’ RESPONSE TO BURR’S VOTE AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS AND COBRA EXTENSIONS 

U.S. Senate candidate Ken Lewis called out Sen. Richard Burr for voting against the commonsense, bipartisan extension of unemployment and COBRA benefits.  Burr joined 18 of the most partisan, right-wing GOP obstructionists in voting down this short-term extension.

“As North Carolina families are still hurting from this deep recession, Richard Burr showed once again that he is alarmingly out-of-touch with the interests of the people.  The lack of compassion and heartlessness evidenced by this vote is shocking,” Lewis said.

“Burr has consistently put far right-wing ideology ahead of both common sense and the long-term, common interests of North Carolinians,” Lewis added.

Burr’s latest actions perfectly back up his recent pronouncement that it is impossible for any candidate to be further to the right than him.

“However, Richard Burr is only a symptom of a broken Senate,” Lewis continued  

Lewis concluded, “In recent years the Senate has drifted away from its original mission:  representing the long-term, common interests of the American people, as Senator Jim Bunning’s actions over the past several days demonstrate.”

Ken Lewis has spent his career fostering these common interests as a business and community development lawyer and civic leader.  He will bring this unique set of experiences to the Senate.